Goal Setting

Miscellaneous:

Assessments and Intake Forms:

We have a number of resources that we recommend These are offer to you as a way to help you save time and money. If you need additional resources you can turn to the group.

1. Dress For Success – This is a a non-profit organization throughout the USA, Canada and the UK.that helps disadvantaged women take charge of their lives. Donate your old business suits, business attire, business shoes, or accessories to a worthy cause. They’ll take any business clothing that a woman could wear to a job interview or at work. (They’ll take financial donations, as well as your volunteer time.)

2. Conference Call University – Great for e a Virtual Learning class. Use this form to list it FREE! Your class will be displayed to the thousands of visitors on their website, as well as be delivered to their subscribers via RSS.

Elance – A a great resource for those projects for which you lack either the time or skill to pull off. Whether it is IT/Programming, Design, Writing, Sales, Marketing or Admin help, there are thousands of hungry freelancers ready to work at a reasonable price. I’ve used Elance for countless projects and have had great results! Their escrow payment system ensures that you don’t pay for a job unless you are completely satisfied.

crowdSPRING –I used crowdSPRING for one of the first logos I needed designed. I like them because posting a project is simple and dozens of designers compete to get the job. It is a great way to get some creative ideas for a reasonable price, and you get to pick the design option that you like the best. Logo designs start at $269, which is a very affordable way for a small business to create a professional look!

Blogging Your Passion –Whether you want to start your own personal website or learn how to blog, Blogging Your Passion is a great resource. It offers free website setup, so all you need to do is give them your domain and they do the rest. Or, if you are interested in beginning your own blog to express your passion, this site is for you. They have easy to understand classes that help you every step of the way – particularly if you are technically challenged.

Stamps.com –This is a great way to eliminate those trips to the post office. With Stamps.com, you can do everything from the comfort of your desk. You can buy and print U.S. postage stamps directly on your envelopes without leaving the office. You’ll never have to worry about refilling that postage meter or running out of stamps again.

Powtoon – My most recent discovery! This software takes PowerPoint presentations to a whole new level by offering animated presentation options that takes the boring out of presentations. I’ve only done a demo on this, but I can’t wait to create my first animated intro!

Lynda.com –I don’t know about you, but it is difficult for me to keep up with software changes every time there is a version update. Lynda.comis a great resource that offers training on literally any type of software you can imagine. What I like about it is that the training is broken down into small sessions, so you can go there to learn one specific thing without going through an entire software training. For example, if you just want to learn how to do a letter merge in Word, there is a 3- to 5-minute session just for that so you can learn it quickly and get back to work. This company does a great job on training!

Echosign – If you’re like me, you have contracts that need to be signed long-distance. This can be challenging because of the time wasted sending PDFs and waiting for them to come back—or worse, sending a document via U.S. mail and waiting for a signed copy to return. Echosign is a cool resource that manages all of your digital signature files. If you only do a couple per month it is free, and if you’re signing multiple contracts it is an affordable solution for managing all of your digital signature files. It’s quick and user-friendly!

GoDaddy – I use GoDaddy to manage my domains and websites. Their customer service is outstanding and they are very helpful to those of us who are technically-challenged!

Paychex – Provides a convenient way to process payroll and 401(k) plans online. They also provide HR services for small businesses. This is a perfect solution for small businesses that lack HR expertise or want to outsource the HR function.

Green by Phone – Process checks and make deposits on any computer or device, from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. Green by Phone processes your checks and then deposits them into your bank account. You no longer have to wait for the check to “come in the mail—just make a deposit today.

SCORE – A nonprofit organization that provides expert business counseling to small business owners. SCORE’s website provides online counseling and offers great e-mail newsletters. What I like best about their newsletter program is that it allows you to select which level of information that you want. From operations to financing and expansion plans, SCORE has a vast database of experts to assist your small business.

Google Analytics – Offers comprehensive tools to monitor your website traffic and evaluate your business’ customer service. Rather than guessing how effective the reach of your site is, Google Analytics provides your business with a comprehensive picture of your audience and how they use your website.

Website and Blog Tools

Wufoo – HTML form builder for creating contact forms, web surveys, and invitations so you can collect data, registrations, and online payments without writing a single line of code.